Rich List
Readers of the Sunday Times rich list may have been surprised to see that the tenth biggest giver to charitable causes is Lord Edmiston, just below Sir Elton John and ahead of Jonathan Ruffer, the man who saved the Zurburan paintings at Durham Castle. Lord Edmiston is reported as giving away 8.12 per cent of his wealth to religious causes. Christian Vision, which supports a number of websites and TV channels around the world, is a major beneficiary. Through its ‘Touch a Billion’ campaign it aims to use media formats from good old-fashioned steam radio to social media and mobile phones to spread the gospel around the world. Through the ‘Impact a Nation’ programme Christian Vision seeks to train local leaders in the UK to make an impact in their communities in education, church development, humanitarian projects and in other ways. Edmiston is a convinced evangelical who has appeared on the Sunday Times rich list for a number of years. He made his fortune through IM group, a car importer, and IM Properties. He sits in the House of Lords as a Conservative peer and opposed gay marriage. Humanists have attacked academies he has sponsored for following polices similar to those laid down in the repealed Section 28 legislation which banned the promotion of homosexuality.